Father Costantino Ruggeri exhibition at the Diocesan Museum of Feltre
Father Costantino Ruggeri becomes the protagonist of an important exhibition dedicated to his work.
From 4 August to 4 November 2026 the Belluno-Feltre Diocesan Museum hosts the exhibition Francesco and friends. "Forgive me if I haven't put a halo on you"dedicated to one of the most significant pictorial cycles by the Franciscan artist and founder of Brother Sun Foundation.
Curated by Virtus Zallot, with the collaboration of Father Angelo Balcon, Cinzia Gallina ed Eugenio TamburrinoThe exhibition fully showcases the plates created by Father Costantino Ruggeri in 1980 for a volume published to mark the eighth centenary of the birth of Saint Francis of Assisi. The works depict the Saint's friends and are accompanied by brief quotations taken from Franciscan Sources, rebuilding the fraternity born around Francis.
The exhibition title takes inspiration from a famous expression by Father Costantino Ruggeri: Forgive me if I haven't put a halo around youA choice that evokes a depiction of St Francis devoid of the traditional attribute of holiness and offers an image of the Saint close to everyday life, highlighting his humanity and the dimension of his relationships.
To give a face to the cycle's protagonists, Ruggeri uses photographs from newspapers, posters, cinema, and television, transforming them through his own artistic language into new images. This results in a reflection on Franciscan friendship and fraternity, in line with Saint Francis's invitation to welcome everyone.
Born in Adro (Brescia) In 1925, Father Constantino Ruggeri was a Franciscan friar, priest, and one of the key figures in the 20th-century renewal of sacred art. After studying at the Brera Academy, he came into contact with artists and architects such as Lucio Fontana, Giò Ponti, and Le Corbusier. From the convent of Canepanova in Pavia, he developed a body of work that spanned painting, sculpture, stained glass, and architecture, founding in 1996 the Brother Sun Foundation.
The opening of the exhibition, which is open to the public, will be held Tuesday 4 August at 8.45 PM, in the presence of the curator and representatives of the promoting bodies.
The exhibition represents an important opportunity to rediscover one of the most significant cycles in the work of Father Costantino Ruggeri and to deepen the value of his artistic and spiritual research, which continues to offer an original contribution to the dialogue between contemporary art, liturgy, and culture.